Northern Province Second Legion

Everyone, prepare to depart!

Adrian, take my orders and have Simon lead the men out.

Prepare the food, weapons, and warhorses. Have everything ready for battle.

Derek issued command after command.

By the Governor's orders, Count Perella had only ten days to reorganize the army.

Even riding at full speed, it would take a day to get here from Count Perella's Territory.

Derek did not have much time left.

Fortunately, compared with the others, Derek's men had received far more training.

There were large numbers of level-seven and level-eight soldiers, while even the recruits were generally above level five.

There were even some elite knights, elite knight squires, and elite infantry.

Nearly all of the earliest batch of soldiers had advanced to the elite tier.

More than anything else, an army valued discipline. It was also difficult to see any enormous difference in strength with the naked eye.

Most importantly, if you had the nerve to question why they were so strong, then go ahead. Believe it or not, they would break your legs.

The army Derek had maintained and even expanded under tremendous pressure was finally proving useful.

The Ferrera Family had sent only five knights and three hundred soldiers, along with farmers hastily drafted into service.

Derek alone had assembled twenty cavalrymen and two hundred infantrymen.

Over a hundred more remained stationed in various places, training recruits while protecting their foundation.

He set out from the Ferrera Family's territory and met up with the slave soldiers Simon led outside Count Perez's Territory.

Once everyone had gathered, they entered Count Perez's Territory beneath Derek's Triangular Flag.

In just a few days, Count Perez had returned to his fief and raised the banner of the Northern Province Second Legion.

By the time Derek arrived at the military camp, more than ten thousand soldiers had already assembled there.

The knight responsible for receiving the nobles who had answered the call saw the Knight Badge on Derek's chest and smiled. "Knight, please state your family name and the number of soldiers you have brought. I'll make a record, and then you can await the count's arrangements."

Derek had deliberately worn the Perez Knight Order's badge somewhere conspicuous to establish his identity.

To a certain extent, most of Count Perez's troops had connections to the Knight Order. That meant they were all on the same side.

Within the army, those from the same faction would naturally receive preferential treatment, especially when compared to outsiders.

"Von Derek, an ennobled knight. Two hundred elite infantrymen in total, one Retired Perez Knight, two Derek Family knights, twenty knight squires, and fifty Logistics Militia."

Derek laid out his full strength. He knew the rules of such temporary legions well and did not dare to hide anything.

The knight in charge of registration inspected the troops. Aside from the militia, every man was fully equipped. He even spotted a squad of Heavy Infantry.

Moreover, every one of them, knights included, was powerfully built and carried a fierce air. Their equipment armed them to the teeth, making them look like true elites.

This was also one of Derek's little schemes. He had ordered them to don all their equipment beforehand.

"Knight, it seems you understand the rules here. But forgive my bluntness, I have never heard the name Derek Family."

"Senior, I was born into the Ferrera Family and have now established an independent branch family. I retired from our Knight Order a year and a half ago."

Derek saw the insignia on the other man's chest and immediately changed how he addressed him.

That was right—this knight also came from the Perez Knight Order.

The registering knight smiled, not at all displeased by Derek's attempt to build rapport.

He had heard of the Ferrera Family, but he had not expected them to possess such strength. Even a branch member could bring out so many elite soldiers.

So he recorded everything in the Register. After some thought, he added another note: Troops are elite, equipment is excellent, and training is thorough.

All of this would be submitted to Count Perez for review. Adding such a note meant taking responsibility for it.

Without good reason, no one would take such a risk.

The registering knight openly turned the register toward Derek so that he could see it.

"My name is Cesar Urpin. We'll have dealings in the future. I'll arrange a better campsite for you."

Derek naturally recognized such goodwill.

"I'll remember it, Senior Cesar." Derek quickly stepped closer. "My family deals in warhorses, weapons, and armor. If you ever need anything, you can come to me."

Derek was not extending goodwill at random. The knight responsible for registration held a low rank but great authority; he was Count Perella's first set of eyes and ears in controlling the legion. No one but a trusted confidant could hold such a position.

Since Derek was temporarily serving under Count Perez, he naturally needed to build a good relationship.

Cesar had not expected Derek to say that. This was not the sort of business ordinary people could enter. It seemed he had been away from his fief for too long and knew too little about the nearby nobles.

"I'll remember that. I'm sure I'll have occasion to trouble you, Knight Derek."

Cesar paid even more attention after that and arranged an even better campsite for Derek.

After looking around, Derek found his older brother Marco. Marco's campsite was not as good as his.

Clearly, this was preferential treatment.

Marco also saw Derek's campsite and could not help feeling envious. "As expected, it pays to come from the Perez Knight Order. This place is completely different from ours."

Derek merely smiled without saying anything. He was not about to explain all the intricacies involved.

Still, with a legion of over ten thousand men gathering, it was easy to imagine what conditions in the temporary camp were like.

Over the next few days, the numbers continued to rise. With the deadline approaching, Count Perez finally announced that there would be a simple parade the next day and that they would march out on the third day.

That night, the count stayed up late reviewing the Register.

Why was this called a little secret known only to military-merit nobles?

The Register appeared simple and unremarkable, yet it was the Legion Commander's first channel for obtaining information.

Which family's troops were elite? Which family's knights were capable? Wasn't that all reflected here?

With a legion of over ten thousand men, the Legion Commander could not inspect them one by one. He could only appoint officers based on limited information.

That was the opportunity. Without someone to point it out, you would not even have an opportunity.

However, after reading for a while, Count Perez suddenly called out.

"Cesar, come here. What's the story with this Von Derek?"

Count Perez could not possibly know every Northland Noble, but he certainly knew the capable ones.

Apart from a few families, no one could produce so many elite troops at once.

And the Register had specifically noted them, which meant they had to be among the very best.

Unfortunately, Count Perez had no impression of the name Derek.

The count did not mind if his subordinates did favors for friends or simply accepted money to get things done, but this was far too outrageous.

He knew Cesar well. Cesar should not have done such a thing, but an explanation was needed.

Cesar took one look. Derek?

He remembered him vividly and immediately answered with a smile, "My lord, you can see for yourself tomorrow. Everything I wrote is true, and I may even have understated it. Knight Derek's men are truly elite. He also comes from our Perez Knight Order and the Ferrera Family."

After Cesar gave a brief introduction, Count Perez formed an impression.

Still, since Cesar dared to say so, it could not be false.

"Arrange for that lad to be nearer the front tomorrow. I'll see for myself." The count agreed, then smiled. "If it's true, this little fellow has quite the ambition."